The art of gnocchi

In general, I love my vegetables and minimize my meat intake. But recently, I decided to be much more conscientious about using meat products — we’re talking borderline vegan. But just borderline. As such, I’ve renewed my love of potato. (Well, you saw my last post on potatoes!)

One of my favorite potato dishes is gnocchi (pronounced properly, please). I had a wonderful, brilliant, and sweet Italian ex-boyfriend (alas, the one who got away) who taught me how to make gnocchi alla sua mamma. Gnocchi can be made with semolina, ricotta, flour, or even pumpkin, but I love the potato version. Most gnocchi recipes call for the potatoes to be boiled, but all that accomplishes is a heavier potato — and for gnocchi, you want the potato to be its lightest. You want as much moisture out of the potato as possible. So I roast the potatoes for about an hour, and once I have the flesh broken up, I sometimes put it back in the oven to get it even drier. You’ll want a rich, starchy potato for gnocchi, so you can’t go wrong with the plain old Russet. The other typically erroneous thing about gnocchi — some recipes call for a lot of eggs. The Italian style I learned from Lorenzo does not use water and very little flour, so it takes some real skills to create the dough. The recipe below uses half an egg to help bind everything together, but work towards no egg in future.

Gnocchi takes sauces quite easily, but go for something simple that doesn’t require extra cooking of the gnocchi paste. Myself, I love pesto or a brown butter sauce. Mmmmh….well, I’ll be making it tonight. I’ll try to get some pictures to post.

Light As Air Gnocchi

Small handful kosher salt
1 lb russet potatoes (about 2 medium size)
1/2 egg, lightly beaten
Loose 1 cup of unbleached all-purpose flour
Pinch fine grain salt
1/2 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting boar

Optional:
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Spread a layer of kosher salt on a baking sheet and place the potatoes on top. The salt helps with heat circulation and more even cooking of the potato. Bake for about an hour. When cool enough to handle, cut in half and remove the flesh. Refine the potatoes by passing them through a potato ricer, grating them on the large holes of a box grater, or deconstructing them by running a fork through the flesh. (The potatoes should feel like flour. If they’re too moist, place in oven for another 15 minutes to dry out. Cool until you can handle.)

Mound cooled potatoes and drizzle the egg and sprinkle 3/4 cup of the flour on the top. If using optional ingredients, sprinkle these on as well. Using a pastry scraper, incorporate the flour and eggs into the potatoes with the egg well mixed throughout. Scrape underneath and fold until the mixture is a light crumble. Lightly and gently knead the dough with your knuckles.

If the dough is too tacky, sprinkle a little more flour at a time and incorporate quickly and lightly. The dough should be moist but not sticky. It should feel firm but billowy. To test for the right correct consistency, take a piece and roll it with your hands on a well-floured board into a rope 1/2-inch in diameter. If the dough holds together, it is ready. If not, add more flour, fold and press the dough several more times, and test again.

Cut finished dough it into 8 pieces. Lightly roll each piece into rope about 1/2-inch in diameter. Use a knife to cut pieces every 3/4-inch. Dust with a bit more flour.

There are special tools for shaping gnocchi, but you can use a fork. Press each piece of dough in and down the length of fork tines with your thumb. The gnocchi will curl a bit, and it should have the ridged impression of the tines. Set each gnocchi aside, dust with a bit more flour if needed until you cook them.

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the gnocchi in batches by dropping them into the water a small handful at a time (do not overcrowd). The paste tells you when they’re cooked, as they will pop back up to the top. Let them float for 10 to 12 seconds and remove with a slotted spoon. Shake off water and serve with your favorite sauce. Minimize tossing to preserve their shape.

Tags: gnocchi, italian, potato

Spiced potato cakes

Last week, I enjoyed my first brunch at Tangerine, a cute looking corner restaurant I have passed time and again on 16th Street but hadn’t yet explored. I ordered the potato latke (pancake) served with poached eggs and smoked salmon. It was unbelievably good. And recollected potato blinis (essentially latkes) topped with sour cream and caviar at 4am in the morning at Pravda in New York accompanied by specialty vodka martinis.

Taking inspiration from this recent reunion with potato pancakes, I decided to make use of a bag of purple potatoes (I love their color). Only, my pancakes are lightly spiced with Indian spices, in homage to my friend Nicky, who used to make me potato pancakes and chai when I visited her in New York. Most latke recipes call for the addition of eggs. I don’t use eggs in my recipe below. I use a very small amount of oil to start off, and then once pan is seasoned, just rely on the nonstick coating, making for a minimally greasy pancake. (See pictures on this page for what greasy means.)

UPDATE: I came across this article on which potatoes hold up best for latkes. I concur on the Russet and the purple outcomes.

Simple Potato Pancakes
Time: 15 minutes prep, 30 minutes cooked
Servings: 6 pancakes

Ingredients
4 medium potatoes, any variety
1/4 cup thinly sliced onions
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 small jalapeno, de-seeded and julienned (optional)
1 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp paprika

Depending on potato, peel skin. Coarsely grate or use shredding attachment on your food processor or mandolin. You should have about 2 cups. If there is liquid, squeeze it out.

In large enough bowl, mix all ingredients together.

Heat a teaspoon of olive oil over low heat in a good, nonstick pan. When warm, make a pancake about the size of your palm, flatten it a bit and place in pan. It doesn’t have to be thin but should be fairly flattened. Tuck in any stray onions. Cook 2-3 over very low heat, letting the bottom brown and crisp — but making sure it doesn’t burn. Flip and continue cooking on other side. Remove from pan and repeat.

Serve pancakes with sour cream or Indian raita (yogurt and cucumber sauce). Or eat it simply as is.

Tags: easy, potato, spicy, vegan

Meyer lemon love

It’s citrus season. I’ll be visiting my sister this weekend, and while I enjoy spending time with her, I am looking forward to returning home with 5 lbs. of meyer lemons from her bountiful, ever-blooming tree. When I first moved to San Francisco (one year ago!), I was appalled with how the lemons were simply languishing and falling off the tree. One pays through the nose for meyer lemons (if one can find them) in Boston.

First, what is a meyer lemon? It is a cross between the more common Eureka lemon (what you see at grocery stores) and a mandarin orange, it is sweeter, less tart, and has a thin, fragrant, and edible skin. So, what do I do with 5 lbs. of meyer lemons? I slice them thinly, salt them lightly, and add them to my salads. I make vats of lemon curd and use them for cookies and semifreddo (recipe to come). But for the most part, I preserve them with salt and olive oil and use them in North African and Near East dishes.

One of my favorite North African dishes is a tagine of chicken. Tagine is itself the dish and also refers to the conical clay pot in which the chicken is braised. Today, lots of places sell tagines. However, you can simply use a heavy bottomed casserole (my trusty 5.5 qt. Le Creuset dutch oven comes to rescue here). There are many recipes on the internet for this tagine. I learned this one from Fatima, chef extraordinaire and sister of an ex-boyfriend, who are both from Algeria. Most people think of tagines as Moroccan, but it is common across North Africa, including Algeria and Tunisia.

Chicken Tagine with Olives and Preserved Lemons
Prep Time: 40 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Servings: 8 to 10

Ingredients

1 TBSP kosher salt
1 whole large chicken, cut into 8-10 pieces (you can use boneless breasts, thighs), skin optional
1 cup mixed olives, pitted and roughly chopped (halving each olive is fine)
4-5 small preserved lemons, pulp removed

Spice marinade:
4 TBSP olive oil
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp ground ginger (or 1/2 tsp finely chopped fresh ginger)
1 tsp pimentón (paprika ok but I like the smokiness of the pimentón)
1/2 tsp saffron, crushed
1 cup chopped fresh cilantro
6 cloves garlic, crushed
1 medium onion, finely diced (use 1/2 in marinade, reserve other 1/2 for cooking)
Pinch salt

Cure the chicken: Rub salt into the chicken pieces, let sit 15 minutes, and then rinse in cold water. Pat dry with paper towel and set aside.

In bowl large enough for all the chicken, mix 2 TBSP olive oil, cinnamon, cumin, turmeric, ginger, pimentón, saffron, cilantro, garlic, half the onions, and pinch of salt. Mix well to make a paste (add a little more oil or water if needed). Add chicken pieces to bowl, mix well, making sure the pieces are well covered with the marinade. Let sit for 15 minutes.

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees at this point.

In the tagine or heavy bottomed casserole/pot, heat remaining 2 TBSP olive oil and add chicken pieces. Do not crowd casserole. If needed, cook chicken in batches. Let chicken sear and brown on one side, then turn over. Remove from casserole.

If needed, add oil to casserole and sautee the remaining onion, olives, and preserved lemons. Place chicken back in, adding whatever remains of the marinade.

Cook in oven for 35 minutes. Serve over couscous. Garnish with more cilantro or parsley, if desired.

Variation – what I’ve tried so far:

* Replace olives with artichokes. In general, I find preparing artichokes a drag — so much work for so few and tiny hearts. (Plus, petals fell in garbage disposal once, without my realizing it. Cost me $275 to get the damn thing fixed.) I like to buy those hearts frozen, thaw them out a little and pan-sear them for some color and nuttiness. In the above recipe, cook the thawed hearts in the casserole at step 4. Get that brown sear on it and then add onions and preserved lemons.

Tags: chicken, lemons, mediterranean, olives, tagine

Spring rolls

Spring rolls are just about one of my favorite finger foods. I love the combination of flavours: the crunch, the herbs, the sauce. And the flavours of Vietnam are among my favourites. Now that I am in San Francisco, super-authentic Vietnamese food is easier to come by than ever, and still so cheap. San Jose, a scant 50-some miles south of San Francisco has a rather large Vietnamese population, making for a bounty and variety that, sadly, the City cannot measure up to.

Following is my recipe for salmon spring rolls, rather nontraditional so you’ll likely not find it at most restaurants. I also happened to have dense, buttery avocados I brought back from Los Angeles (alas, better weather, and better avocados than here) and included them as well. Spring rolls contain lettuce, rice noodles, herbs, and protein tightly wrapped in paper thin, translucent rice paper. They are best eaten fresh — in fact, I wouldn’t recommend eating them any other way. So, either temper your ingredients to make two rolls for yourself only — or invite a couple friends over to sample.

Note, I cure my salmon prior to cooking.

Fresh Salmon Spring Rolls
Time: 45 minutes prep time, 20 minutes cook time + 2 hours marinade time
Servings: 8-10 rolls

Ingredients
1 lb. salmon fillet, skin on fine, cured
1 package round rice paper, smaller size, about 6-in
1 package thin rice stick noodles (you will only need 1/4 of package usually)
Handful fresh mint
Handful cilantro
Handful Vietnamese cilantro
Whole leaves of lettuce, such as green leaf, hard stalk removed
Cucumber, thinly sliced lengthwise, cut into 4-5 in strips
1 avocado, sliced
3-5 c. water (for boiling when needed)

Sauce (my version, not traditional):
1 TBSP peanut oil
2 TBSP hoisin sauce
2-3 fresh green onions, thinly chopped
1/2 lime
3-5 fresh Thai chilis, chopped (optional)
1 TBSP finely ground peanuts (optional)

Two hours before serving, cure the salmon. Keep in fridge for at least 1.5 hours before cooking. When ready, take out of water and dry salmon completely (makes for better searing, browning).

Next, make the sauce. Heat the peanut oil in a sauce pan over low heat. Add the Thai chilis (please make sure you pricked them with the knife, or they could explode) and sautee until they begin to toast and release their scent. Remove from pan. Add chopped green onions to pan and give it a quick stir. Chop up the chilis and add back to pan with the green onions. Add the hoisin and let all the flavors come together. Remove from heat and stir in the peanuts. Just before serving squeeze some lime juice over it.

Prep the noodles. One half hour before rolling, place rice noodles in bowl and cover with warm water. Let rest before softening further.

Prepare the vegetables and herbs. Cean all the herbs and lettuce, cutting off all stems. Set aside on plate. Slice half a cucumber lengthwise with a peeler (the “Y” shaped peelers are best, but be careful as they can be very sharp). Set aside on same plate. Cut avocado in half. Remove skin from one half (keeping it as whole as possible) and slice thinly. Set aside with other vegetables and herbs.

Clockwise from top: cilantro/coriander, Vietnamese cilantro, cucumbers, green leaf lettuce, mint

Vietnamese cilantro, in closer detail

Prepare the noodles. Boil 4 to 5 cups of water. Drain noodles, put in colander, and place in bowl again. Pour water to cover the noodles and immediately lift out. (Set aside this water, covering it to keep warm.) When noodles are cool to the touch, spread out on plate and cover to keep it from drying out. Set aside. Note: how much noodles you have depends entirely on how much you want really. Just keep in mind that you are adding other fillings to the rolls. I prefer mostly veggies.

Spread noodles out for easy handling

Cook the salmon: Take salmon out of the fridge and pat dry. You will not need to add any salt before cooking. If pan-frying, heat a small amount of olive oil over medium heat. When the oil starts to smoke, lay fish in the pan, skin side down. Let this cook for 3-5 minutes (you want a nice crisp) then turn over. Let the salmon cook on this side for another 4-5 minutes. If the fish is firm when you press it in the thickest part, it’s ready (it will be cooked medium, so it will be a little rare on the inside). Remove from pan. If you want to remove the skin (I recommend keeping it, as it provides a tasty crunch in the spring roll), remove it at this time. Slice the salmon across the grain with a forward motion, so as not to flake the fish too much (if you do, it’s OK). Set aside.

Getting a beautiful sear on your salmon

Put it all together – the Roll. Arrange your fillings (vegetables and herbs, noodles, protein) on a large enough work surface. For the rolling itself, I recommend you use a large plate or a large clean cutting board (one you haven’t used for meat). Dip a circular sheet into the hot water, making sure the entire surface is wet and put on work surface. Let it rest a minute and soften. Place the lettuce at the bottom edge of the circle closest to you. Add the herbs on top it it. Next comes the noodles, then the cucumber, avocado, and finally the salmon. Place thumb slightly under edge, press fillings tight and roll over once. Fold in the ends and the finish rolling. [You can also just roll without folding the ends, if it's too tricky.] Serve with the dipping sauce.

The rice paper out of package

Laying the base of veggies and noodle

Adding avocado and salmon

The results... ta da!

As usual, I have variations:

* Vegetarian: Take a pack of firm tofu, slice along the short side into 1/2 inch slices. Sear/brown each side in pan with a little olive oil over low heat, about 5-8 minutes on each side. Cut each slice in half lengthwise and replace salmon. Or, just use pan-seared mushrooms or your favorite grilled vegetables, e.g., eggplant, zucchini, roasted and dried tomatoes.

* Replace avocado with mango.

* Shrimp (most common in restaurants): Butterfly large shrimp. Make small incisions along body and stretch shrimp on a skewer (that’s been soaked in water). Grill 3-4 minutes and replace salmon. You can also butterfly and boil shrimp for 3 to 4 minutes until they cook.

* Lemongrass beef: Take 1 stalk of lemongrass, remove leaves and crush the root. Chop very finely and rub all over 8 oz. beef. Season with salt. Let it marinate for at least an hour. Grill or pan fry and replace salmon in rolls. For beef, I like to use sirloin or flank/bavette cut.

Tags: salmon, spring rolls, vietnamese

Spicy curry soup

Earlier this year, the New York Times ran an article on the spicy curry soups of Southeast Asia. I especially loved this description:

“Enter, steaming: the rich, spicy chicken noodle soups of Southeast Asia, the love children of Indian curries and Chinese noodle soups. These are chicken noodle soups you want to bathe in: sweet, spicy and fragrant, a happy contrast of hot broth, springy noodles and a madness of garnishes…”

This spicy concoction goes by many names. Where I’m from, it’s called khao poon. During my many cold winters in Boston, I made this almost every other week (and it lasts about a week). I’ve already made this quite a bit this cold San Franciscan summer. Below is my recipe using chicken, the most popular way to have it. I offer some variations below for the adventurous. These are suggested quantities for the ingredients. Making this soup has become so second nature that all the portions are measured out by sense rather than gadgets.

A note about the curry paste. You can use whichever curry you like — red, green, yellow, massaman. I prefer red curry. While you can make these by hand (just Google any recipe), I highly recommend just buying the paste from the store. Less ingredients to buy and the quality is really quite good. Mainstream markets sell a Thai Kitchen brand that is just so-so. I usually get the Mae Ploy brand which is carried by most Asian specialty markets.

Chicken Khao Poon
Time: 20-30 minutes prep, 20 minutes cook time
Servings: 8 servings

Ingredients

1 lb. rice noodles, depending on your preference, thin spaghetti like (not angel hair or spaghetti)
1 whole chicken or 3-4 chicken breasts

Soup Base:
3 lbs. pan-seared mixed mushrooms – I like shitake, oyster and enoki (optional)
1 TBSP olive oil
12 oz. bamboo shoots, shredded (or pre-shredded in chili oil but rinse before cooking)
2 large tomatoes, cut into wedges
6-8 Thai eggplant, quarter or sliced (optional)
1 1/2 TBSP curry base
1-2 TBSP peanut butter (or crushed roasted peanuts) to balance out coconut milk
4-5 kaffir lime leaves (or zest of 2 limes)
1 can unsweetend coconut milk (8 to 10 oz.)
64 oz. chicken stock or water
2-3 scallions, cut to 2-in lengths and julienned

Garnish (all optional):
Cilantro, coarsely chopped
Pakwae leaves (long leaves with saw edges), chopped
Vietnamese cilantro, chopped
1/4 head of cabbage, thinly sliced
Fried onions (you can buy these at Asian markets, or pan fry some thinly sliced onions)
Extra ground dried red chili flakes to taste
Lime wedges

Heat water in a pot large enough to cover chicken. Rinse chicken thoroughly and add to pot (this can be before water boils). Cook 15 minutes for breasts and 20 minutes for whole chicken. Remove from heat, reserving the chicken stock (de-grease if needed), and let cool. When cool enough to handle, tear chicken apart — keep drumsticks and wings whole, and coarsely shred the rest (remove skin if you’d like). Set aside. Bones can be used if desired. (When boiling chicken, I usually add 1 stalk lemon grass, root crushed; 2-inch piece of ginger slices; 1 small whole yellow or white onion; 2-3 dried whole chilis. Not necessary, but I like infusing flavor.)

While chicken is cooking, bring large stock pot of salted water to boil, and add rice noodles. Stir quickly and often to prevent sticking. Noodles are done when al dente, otherwise it will be mushy (and it will be served in steaming hot broth). Drain in colander. Add cold water to stock pot and add noodles back in. Stir thoroughly and drain again. Repeat once or twice more. This helps remove starch and stops noodles from cooking. Because rice noodles can stick together and be difficult to handle if not immediately eaten, prepare noodles into serving portions. With noodles in cold water, gather a handful with tips of your fingers and using other hand, brush downward on the noodles to remove excess water. Lay in colander. Cover and set aside.

Gathering up noodles into serving size packets

Pan sear the mushrooms and set aside.

For soup base, use large pot (I use a 5.5 quart Le Creuset dutch over). Heat olive oil and add tomatoes and thai eggplant. Sautee for 2-3 minutes. Add curry paste, peanut butter, and lime leaves. Mix well and add bamboo shoots. Stir ingredients together and then add coconut milk. Let mixture simmer for 5 minutes.

Letting all the flavors meld together

Add add reserved chicken. Stir well and let all the flavours combine together for another 5 minutes. Add chicken stock. Cover and bring to boil. Taste and add more salt, if needed. Lower heat and cook another 5-10 minutes. Remove from heat and add mushrooms and julienned green onions.

To serve, add 1-2 noodle bundles into soup bowl. Garnish as desired. Ladle soup over noodles.

My hot spicy chicken curry

For variations:
* Vegetarian khao poon: Take a pack of firm tofu, slice along the short side into 1/2 inch slices. Sear/brown each side in pan with a little olive oil over low heat, about 5-8 minutes on each side. Cut each slice in half. Add tofu as garnish. Use vegetable broth, of course.
* Pork khao poon: Slice pork into bite site pieces and sautee thoroughly in olive oil before adding ingredients for soup base. You can also roast pork and add it to mixture where you add the cooked chicken.
* Seafood khao poon: I like a mixture of shrimp, firm white fish, squid, and scallops. If using fish, a firm fish like halibut or monkfish works well. If using shrimp, boil shells and strain for a quick and simple seafood stock for the soup, otherwise, store-bought seafood broth or plain water will do. Add the seafood to soup base just after it comes to a boil. No pre-cooking necessary.

Tags: curry, noodles, spicy

Oven roasted naked fish

I thought I’d use the word “naked” to get your attention Actually, by naked I mean really simple fish with nothing but salt and pepper to season it. It sits atop a foundation of beautiful vegetables of your choice and as the whole dish roasts, some of the natural sugars caramelize and combine to meld all the flavors together. You serve it with fresh basil and a drizzle of balsamic brown butter, which adds richness and acidity to the dish.

For fish, I try to choose a sustainable variety such as sablefish (black cod), halibut, or Alaskan salmon (sustainable on the West Coast anyways – you can get a Seafood WATCH list for your region here). For the vegetables, I try to keep it seasonal and often select for color.

Oven Roasted Naked Fish and Vegetables with Balsamic Brown Butter
Time: 20 minutes prep, plus 25 minutes cook time
Servings: 2-3 servings

2-3 fillets of fish such as sablefish, halibut, or salmon (4-5 oz each)
salt and pepper to taste
2 medium zucchinis about 5-6 inches long, sliced 1/3-in. lengthwise
1/2 lb potatoes (I like purple ones for color), sliced 1/4-in. rounds
1 c. cherry tomatoes
1/2 medium onion, roughly sliced lengthwise
1 lb. sliced mushrooms, whichever you like, pan-seared
Drizzle of olive oil
3 TBSP unsalted butter
1 TBSP balsamic vinegar
fresh basil leaves

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Season the fish with salt and pepper and set aside. Usually, I take a pinch of salt and sprinkle over one side of the fillet. Repeat on the other side.

In a oven-proof baking dish, lay zucchini on bottom and add potatoes, tomatoes, and onions over it. Take a pinch of salt and sprinkle liberally over veggies. Drizzle olive over it and roast for 10 minutes or so.

While this is roasting, you can pan-sear the mushrooms and set aside.

After 10 minutes or so, check on roasted veggies. It should be starting to caramelize by this time. Add the pan-seared mushrooms to the baking dish. Lay the fish fillets on top and roast for another 10-15 minutes depending on size of fish.

Meanwhile, in a small stainless steel sauce pan, heat the butter over medium heat until the milk solids begin to turn brown and a nutty aroma emerges (hence the term noisette, which means hazelnut, in brown butter’s french translation beurre noisette). You want it a toasty brown, but not too brown. It will continue cooking for a minute off the heat, so remove it as soon as it starts to turn color. Cover top of the sauce pan with a paper towel and, holding up a corner, add the balsamic vinegar. When it stops sizzling, you can remove the paper towel and stir around the final balsamic brown butter together.

Remove the oven roasted fish and vegetables. Let rest a few minutes and serve with a tablespoon of balsamic brown butter drizzled over the fish and vegetables and torn fresh basil leaves for garnish.

Tags: halibut, potato, roasting, sablefish, salmon, sustainable seafood

Braised kale

I love bitter greens like collard, mustard greens, beet greens, and kale. This preparation for dinosaur kale (also known as black kale or cavolo nero) was introduced to me by my friend Cindy, which she in turn first enjoyed at AOC and Lucques, two exceptional restaurants by chef Suzanne Goin in Los Angeles.

This recipe is adapted from Ms. Goin and has been further adapted by my friend. It is amazing on its own or as a side. I know this is a blog about cooking for one, but you can’t go wrong doubling this recipe and keeping some extra kale on hand. You can do this for collard greens as well.

Braised Cavolo Nero
Total time: About 1 hour
Servings: 3 to 5 people

4 bunches dinosaur kale, stemmed and cleaned
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 white onion, thinly sliced lengthwise (or substitute two leeks)
2-3 dried chile de árbol
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided, more as needed

Blanch the kale in a large pot of salted, boiling water just until softened slightly, about 2 to 3 minutes. Drain the kale and immediately place it in a bowl of ice water to cool. (This is essential to stopping the cooking process and maintaining the greenness of the kale.) Drain again and set aside.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large, heavy-bottom saucepan heated over medium-high heat, add the olive oil, onions, and chile de árbol. Gently sautée for 2 minutes, then add the garlic and season with 1/4 TSP salt. Continue to cook until the onions are transparent and just beginning to color, an additional 8 to 10 minutes.

Stir the kale into the pan and cook over medium heat, stirring often, for 15-20 minutes. Season with the remaining 1/4 TSP salt. As it cooks, the kale will turn a deep dark green, almost black color, and the texture will go from soft to almost a little crisp from caramelizing on the bottom of the pan. This is good and will enhance the flavor.

When all the water has evaporated, spread kale on a baking sheet and put in oven. Let it bake until the edges turn crispy. Remove from heat and serve immediately.

Kale on cookie sheet, ready for final oven treatment

NOTE: I bought 12 huge bunches last Thanksgiving — mix of black and Russian kale. It cooked down to almost nothing, but served about 12 people.

Tags: kale, vegan